Two-level float valve structure



y 1949- J. 1.. BREESE ETAL 2,470,684

TWO-LEVEL FLOAT VALVE STRUCTURE Original Filed llay 14. 1942' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1!ldllliallivloollllilail nunuunn In V6 Z0275 Patented May 17, 1949 TWO-LEVEL FLOAT VALVE STRUCTURE James L. Breese and Bruce Hayter, Santa Fe, N. Men, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Breese Burners, Inc., Santa Fe, N. Mex., a corporation of Delaware Continuation of application Serial No. 442,936, May 14, 1942. This application January 8, 1947,

Serial No. 720,758

'1 Claim. 1 This invention relates to an improvement in controls for liquid fuel burners and the like, and

I defines a main burner. It may terminate in a has for one purpose the provision of control means adapted to deliver a liquid fuel at a plurality of levels.

Another purpose is the provision of a float adapted for the so-called pot type burners in which the fuel is delivered to the burner at two levels.

Another purpose is the provision of an improved control device for delivering fuel to a primary burner and to a pilot burner, the fuel delivery levels of the two burners being different.

Another purpose is the prevention of the accumulation of any substantial volume of liquid fuel in the pot in the event of burner failure.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claim.

The present application is a continuation of our application Serial No. 442,936, abandoned February 10, 1947, filed in the United States Patent Oflice on May 14, 1942, for Two-level float valve structure.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig, 1 is a vertical axial section through the main and pilot burner, the control device being shown in nd elevation;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-! of Fig. 1;

.Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail section'of the parts shown in Fig. 33, illustrated on a larger scale;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a section on. the line 66 of Fig. 4.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, l indicates any suitable outer housing or drum of a space heater. 2 is a bottom partition having air inlet aperture 3. 4 are any suitable means for supporting the heater above any suitable supporting floor or surface 5, whereby air may flow in through the aperture 3. 6 generally indicates a burner pot, herein shown as having an upper flange I resting upon a supporting flange or ring 8 inwardly extending from the inner face of the member I.

9 is a flame ring for the top of the pot, which is preferably centrally apertured, as at iii. A plurality of primary air inlets is illustrated in the wall of the pot, located at various levels, as at H.

Any suitable secondary air supplymeans may be employed, but it is convenient to employ a plurality of secondary air inlets l2. 4

I4 is the pot bottom, which with the side wall 6 central aperture with an upwardly extending lip I5. I6 indicates a ring filling thecentral aperture and preferably formed with a downwardly extending edge II. A second pilot burner, generally indicated as I8, may be secured in any suitable manner to the bottom l4 of the main burner. Illustrated for example is an upwardly and outwardly extending flange l9, which may be welded or otherwise secured to the bottom member I4. The lower pot is provided with a bottom 20.

The pilot pot I8 is shown as provided with a.

plurality ofair inlets 2| located adjacent the top of the pilot pot and preferably downwardly tilted. If desired, a central duct 22 may be employed, threaded or otherwise secured to a central bushing or sleeve 23 and forming with the sleeve 2. central air inlet duct 24, which delivers air to the distributor 25, with its outwardly extending air discharge apertures 26. It will be understood that, whereas a practical two-level dual burner is here illustrated, the control device below described may be employed with a wide variety of two-level burners. I

30 generally indicates a float chamber with any suitable, preferably removable, top 3|, with a cover plate 32, and apertured at one end, as at 33. 34 is a liquid fuel supply line extending from any suitable source of liquid. fuel not herein shown. It communicates through a duct 35 with any suitable screen 36. The screened fuel passes upwardly through a duct 3! controlled by any suitable valve seat 38, with a valve 39 opposed thereto. The level of the valve is controlled by any suitable float 40, the details of which do not form part of the presentinvention. It will be understood that, in response to the float, the valve 38 is effective to control the level of the liquid fuel4l in the chamber 30.

42 illustrates a liquid fuel line extending from the float chamber 30 to the upper burner pot 6. The flow of fuel along the line 42 may be controlled by any suitable valve means, manual or automatic. As the details of any such valve means do not form part of the present invention,

they are not illustrated, but 43 indicates any suitable manual control therefor, with an indicating pointer 44 aligned with any suitable calibrated plate 45. It will be understood that, whereas a manual control is indicated, any ordinarily heat responsive control may be employed for varying the flow of fuel to the pot 6 in response to variations in temperature condition in the space to be heated.

In order to supply liquid fuel to the pilotpot or second burner Hi, there is illustrated a supple- I mental float chamber 50, the interior of which communicates with the pot [8 through the fuel line 5|. The float chamber 50 is provided with a removable top or lid 52, herein shown as secured to a tubular member 53, which extends to the bottom of the float chamber 30. Extending in the float chamber 30 to a level above the normal maximum level of the fuel 4|, and screw threaded to an upper portion of the duct 53, is

. the guiding duct 54, which is provided with a fuel inlet passage 55, and may be surrounded by 4 pot a, it will spill over the lip of the sleeve l and thereby raise the level in the float chamber 50 and actuate the trip. It will be noted that the downwardly extending lip ll prevents any tenany suitabl screening or filer means 55. It will be observed in Fig. 4 that the screen cloth 55 is illustrated as surrounding the duct members 54 and secure to enlarged upper and lower portions thereof. Within the bore of the duct member 54 is a tube 51, which is provided with a fuel inlet aperture 58 at the level of the aperture 56. At the top of the duct 51 is a control handle 59, which extends exteriorly of the upper float chamber 30 and may be provided with an indi- "cating finger fillopposed to any suitable calibrations. Its movement may be guided by a slot 5|, through which passes one of the securing screws 62 for the top plate 32 of the float chmber. The passage element or tube 51 at its bottom rests upon the top of the member 53. Its upper portion is slotted longitudinally, as at 63, to permit the extension therethrough of the wire end 64, the body or stem 65 of which extends downwardly into the central passage 66 of the supplemental float 61. It will be observed that the passage 66 extends down to but not through the bottom 68 of the float.

It will be understood that, if and when fuel accumulates in the supplemental float chamber 50, the float 61 rises and lifts the wire 55 and its outwardly extending end 64. The end 64 may be secured to or press against a washer upon which rests the end of a trip lever 1|, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The trip lever II when in the lower position in which it is shown in Fig. 3 holds a trip arm 12, with its weight 13, in inoperative position. When the float 61 rises, the washer 10 trips the arm 1| and permits the weight 13 to move the trip 12 into valve closing position in reference to the valve 39. Thus, any further inflow of fuelto the float chamber is cut off. The trip may be reset thereafter by the exteriorly extending manual member 15.

There are several circumstances under which the tripdevice may be released. For example, assume that the flow of fuel along the line 42 has been entirely out out, whether by manual further flow of oil into the float chamber 30 is terminated. If on the other hand, for any reason, for example sticking of the valve 38, the level of fuel in the float chamber 30 goes above the top of the duct member 54, then fuel will flow through the slot 63 of the tube 51 and downwardly into .the chamber 50, and the fuel level in the pilot chamber l8 and in the float chamber 50 will rise. The. float 61 actuates the trip. Thus, when for any reason thefuel level 4| rises unduly, a further inflow of fuel along the line 34 is terminated. If for any reason and at any time an excess of fuel is supplied to the bottom I4 of the dency of the fuel to flow outwardly through the apertures 2|.

It will be observed that the line 5| is provided intermediate its ends with a T 80, having a cleanout and runoff plug 8|, whereby the line 5| extending to the pilot burner |8 can readily be cleaned and through which excess fuel can easily be drained out after the trip mechanism has been actuated.

It will be realized that, whereas a practical and operative device is described and illustrated, nevertheless many changes may be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore wished that the description and drawings be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as a limitation to the precise showing. For example, the dual control unit herein described and shown may be employed with a wide variety of different burners.

It will also be understood that our burner may be employed with a fuel outlet extending only from the second float chamber when it is desired to employ our control primarily to prevent the accumulation of any substantial amount of fuel in the bottom of the pot in the event of burner failure.

The use and operation of our invention are as follows:

We have developed a double pot type burner in which two independent burners are associated, a small burner to maintain a pilot flame, and a large burner to maintain an intermediate and high fire flame. A typical burner combination of this type is shown in Fig. 1. When the lower burner or pot I8 is operating, fuel is delivered only along the line 5|, and is vaporized and mixed with air admitted through the apertures 2| and 26. This maintains a small pilot fire, the upper burner pot B being for the time being out of use. When a higher fire is desired, fuel for the higher fire is admitted to the upper pot 6 along the fuel line 42. The fuel so supplied is vaporized by the heat of combustion, and mixes with primary air flowing through the air inlets The final mixture is formed by secondary air, which may be supplied for example through air inlets l2. Thus, two independent burners are provided, each with its own air supply, and each with its own individual fuel supplyj While our float valve structure is adaptable for a wide variety of uses, it is well adapted to control the flow of fuel to such a two-level burner as is herein shown. It will be understood also that it may be employed for any purpose where a fuel supply from a single fuel source is to be delivered at different points or at different levels to a burner or group of burners. Further, it can be employed, with slight modification, to deliver a supply of fuel at a single point or level.

Our control device has a particular advantage in that the float chamber 50 may be employed to close the inflow valve 39 of the main pilot chamber 30, thereby cutting off any further inflow of fuel before the bottom of the pot has been substantially flooded. One of the primary difficulties with controls now on the market is the fact that, when the burner becomes flooded, there is a tremendous amount of oil in the bottom of the pot to be burned off or drained off. If it is burned off, overheating and smoking may be the result.

But draining it off is an annoying procedure involving time and possibly additional equipment.

Whereas we have shown our float control as applied to a two-level burner, if the passage 42 and the valve control 40 are omitted, and if all of the fuel is delivered along the duct 5|, our control may be applied to a one-level burner of any gravity feed type. A relatively small rise in a the level in the bottom of the pot, and thus in the small pilot chamber 50, results in a cutting 01! of the fuel inlet to the chamber 30, and the flow of fuel into the bottom of the pot is cut off before any substantial volume of fuel is delivered to the pot.

With reference to the control itself, we employ a main float chamber and a supplemental float chamber, preferably located at different levels, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. As a matter of convenience, all of the fuel may be delivered to the main or upper float chamber 30 from any suitable source of liquid fuel, not herein shown, along the line 34. The level of liquid fuel in the upper chamber 30 may be controlled in any suitable fashion, but we illustrate a float 40 which controls the valve stem 39, and thus controls the inflow of fuel along the line 34. The fuel for the upper pot 5 is delivered along the line 42 directly from the upper float chamber 30. Any suitable valve means may be employed, manual or automatic, for varying or controlling this flow.

When the pilot burner alone is operating, the valve control member 43 may be set at zero, so that no fuel flows along the line 42. The fuel for the lower float chamber 50 is delivered by any suitable valve means, as shown in Fig. 4, and in the particular embodiment of our invention shown in the drawings it flows down through the duct 53 into the float chamber 50 and along the line 5| to the bottom burner.

When the top burner is burning, this flow may be undisturbed, although we might under some circumstances cut it off altogether and deliver fuel only along the line 42 to the top burner.

Broadly stated, we are using a single control chamber 30 for delivering fuel selectively or concurrently at two different levels, or at two different points. In the particular embodiment of our invention herein shown we find it desirable to provide safety means for cutting off the inflow of fuel to the control chamber 30 in the event an excess of fuel is delivered to the pilot burner, or in the event that an excess of fuel is delivered to the upper burner and flows into the pilot burner. We find it convenient to employ a supplemental float 61. If the burner goes out and the flow of fuel continues along the line 42 and flows over the lip l6 and into the lower cham- 6 her, then the rising level of oil raises the float 81, actuates the above described trip mechanism, closing the valve 38, and cuts off any further inflow of fuelto the chamber 30.

We claim:

In a liquid fuel control adapted for use with a pot type liquid fuel burner receiving fuel at two different levels, a primary fuel chamber, a liquid fuel inlet pipe extending thereto, inlet valve means therefor, a secondary chamber located beneath said primary chamber, a. fuel passage extending from said primary to said secondary chamber, a rotary valve element, concentric with said fuel passage, adapted to control the volume of flow of fuel through said passage, a liquid fuel delivery line extending from said secondary chamber, and adapted to supply fuel to the burner, a float in said secondary chamber, a connecting element extending upwardly from said float through said passage means, and means for closing said inlet valve means in response to upward movement of said float and said connecting means in response to an increase in the level of liquid fuel in said secondary chamber, said connecting means including a rod supported upon said float and extending upwardly through said fuel passage and rotary valve element, and a control arm for said inlet valve means, normally gravitationally supported upon said rod.

JAMES L. BREESE. BRUCE HAYTER.

85 flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 425,667 Fenley Apr. 15, 1890 1,505,502 Smallwood Aug. 19, 1924 1,509,557 Jeflerson Sept. 23, 1924 1,732,605 Keenan Oct. 22, 1929 1,747,357 Frenier Feb. 18, 1930 1,820,774 Boyce Aug. 25, 1931 1,852,261 Piatt Apr. 5, 1932 2,111,744 Bock Mar. 22, 1938 2,129,937 Johnson Sept. 13, 1938 2,189,662 Foulds Feb. 6, 1940 2,236,559 Anderson Apr. 1, 1941 2,267,187 Bock Dec. 23, 1941 2,397,120v Breese et al Mar. 26, 1946 2,404,853 Landon July 30, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,880 Great Britain Oct. 9, 1891 

